Calendar clockwork

ABSTRACT

A CALENDAR CLOCKWORK IS SAFEGUARDED AGAINST FAULTY OPERATION AND CONSTRUCTED TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR THE CALENDAR MECHANISM TO BE MANUALLY ADJUSTED INDEPENDENTLY OF THE OPERATION OF THE CLOCKWORK MECHANISM.

Feb. 2, 1.971 P. w. M. GAEMERS 5 CALENDAR CLOCKWORK Filed Oct. 31, 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l N VENTOR P/E r52 WA mamas/flaw 445M611! Jag w jm Feb. 2, 1971 P. w. M.'AEMERS 3,559,394

CALENDAR CLOCKWORK 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct 51, 1969 v INVENTOR. P/ETER MAI/Z/VUSMQfi/fl 6 /75/ 453:

T/MXMIXWZMK 7 3,559,394 7 Patented Feb- 1971 m en mm US. Cl. 58-4 2 Claims ABS' I'RA CT 0F DISCLOSURE .A calendar clockwork is safeguarded against faulty operation and constructed to make it possible for the position just before the calendar mechanism is to 'be adjusted;

FIG. 2 shows the transmission mechanism in its end positz'ion, just after the calendar mechanism has been adjuste FIG. 3 shows the transmission mechanism in its end position just before returning to its initial position;

FIG. 4 shows the transmission mechanism just after being returned to its initial position.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a transmission mechanism comprising a shaft 2 mounted for rotacalendar mechanism to be manually adjusted independently of the operation of the clockwork mechanism.

The invention relates to a calendar clockwork, comprising a transmission mechanism for periodically adjusting the calendar mechanism, said transmission mechanism being disposed between the clockwork mechanism and the calendar mechanism and having a drive shaft coupled with said clockwork mechanism.

It is known in such clockworks to prepare automatic incremental adjustment during a period of time of 1 to 2 hours, during which period the calendar mechanism cannot be adjusted in the forward direction, e.g., to set the proper date. If it is nevertheless tried to adjust the calendar mechanism, the mechanism is forced and likely to be irreparably damaged. It has also been proposed to lock the calendar mechanism during the preparation period for the clockwork mechanism to switch the calendar mechanism in the forward direction, thereby to prevent damage, but then the disadvantage remains that during the preparation period the calendar mechanism cannot be manually operated for synchronisation.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved construction of a calendar clockwork of the subject type, thereby to remove the above disadvantages and to create the possibility of adjusting the calendar mechanism at will and independently of the operation of the clockwork mechanism.

To this effect, according to the invention, there is pro vided a calendar clockwork comprising a transmission mechanism for periodically adjusting the calendar mechanism, said transmission mechanism being disposed between the clockwork mechanism and the calendar mechanism and having a drive shaft coupled with said clockwork mechanism, and wherein said drive shaft, which is arranged to rotate at a speed of one revolution per 24 hours, is provided with two members, fixedly mounted thereon, such as cams, one of said members cooperating with a movable latch element for temporarily locking and suddenly releasing an adjustment lever mounted for rocking movement through a limited distance, said adjustment lever having an adjustment finger for adjusting the calendar mechanism, said calendar mechanism being entirely uncoupled from said adjustment finger before and after the adjustment, said adjustment lever "being connected with an operating lever by means of a power element, e.g., a spring and forming a snapping mechanism therewith, said operating lever being mounted for rocking movement, limited by the other member mounted on the drive shaft. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, said latch element is radially movable.

One embodiment of the transmission mechanism for use in a calendar clockwork according to the invention will be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the transmission mechanism in its initial tion in a carrying plate 1, said shaft having a gear wheel (not shown) driven by a clockwork mechanism (not shown) in the direction of the arrow P at a speed of one revolution per 24 hours. Mounted on the shaft 2 are two cams 3 and 4, the cam 3 of which serves for rocking an operating lever 6 through a limited distance about its rotational shaft 5, and the cam 4 of which is arranged for axially moving a slide 8 guided in a straight line between guide blocks 7.

The operating lever 6 is coupled through a tensile spring 9 with a lip 10 of an annular adjustment lever 11, mounted between guide rolls 12, which define the axis of rotation of the adjustment lever. The adjustment lever 11 is provided with a dog 13, which in cooperation with two abutment pins 14, mounted on the carrying plate 1 limit the to and fro movement of the adjustment lever 11. Furthermore, the adjustment lever 11 carries an adjustment finger 15. When the adjustment lever 11 moves in one direction, the adjustment finger 15 operates a switch lever 16 of a calendar mechanism (not shown) and when it moves in the other direction to return to its initial position, it causes the switch lever 16 to perform an inoperative stroke.

The operation of the transmission mechanism is as follows:

The transmission mechanism is at some seconds before 24 hours (midnight) in the position shown in FIG. 1. In it, the adjustment lever 11, is locked through the cooperation of the dog 13 on the adjustment lever and the slide 8 forced radially outwardly by the cam 4, and the spring 9 is tensioned as strongly as possible. Immediately after 24 hours, the slide 8 is released by the cam 4 and forced radially inwardly by the dog 13 under the tension of the spring 9, the adjustment lever 11 snapping suddenly to the position shown in FIG. 2, in which position the dog 13 On the adjustment lever is in contact with the left-hand abutment pin 14 as viewed in the drawing. During the sudden snapping movement of the adjustment lever 11, the switch lever 16 of the calendar mechanism is adjusted and released by means of the adjustment finger 15.

After the adjustment of the calendar mechanism, the transmission mechanism driven by the clockwork mechanism is moved during the next 12 hours from the position of FIG. 2 to the position of FIG. 3. During this movement, the slide 8 is soon forced radially outwardly by the cam 3 for it to cooperate with the dog 13 on the adjustment lever 11 to keep the latter locked in the position it occupied immediately after 24 hours (midnight). Some seconds before 12 hours (noon) the position of FIG. 3 has been reached, in which the operating lever 6 (according to FIG. 3) has moved as far to the right as possible, and the spring 9 has been tensioned to its maximum extent, but the position of the adjustment lever 11 as shown in FIG. 2 has been maintained. At 12 hours (noon) the slide 8 is released by the cam 3 for it to be forced radially inwardly under the pressure of the dog 13 on the adjustment lever 11. During this movement, under the action of the spring, the lever 11 will snap from the position of FIGS. 2 and 3, which has been maintained until that point of time, to the position of FIG. 4, in which movement it is limited by the right-hand abutment pin 14, as viewed in FIG. 4. During the snapping movement of the lever 11 the adjustment finger 15 will take along the switch lever .16 through some distance, the latter performing an inoperative stroke, whereafter the switch lever 16 will return to its operative position, for example, under spring action.

During the next hours, owing to the further rotation of the cams 3 and 4, operating lever 6 and slide 8 will move to the position of FIG. 1, but through the cooperation of slide 8, moved radially outwardly, and dog 13 of adjustment lever 11, the latter will be locked in the position as shown in FIG. 4. At 24 hours (midnight) the slide 8 will again be released by the cam 4, so that adjustment lever 11 will snap to the left as viewed in the drawings, thereby operatively actuating switch lever 16, and come to a standstill against the left-hand abutment pin 14, so that it has again reached the position of FIG. 2.

During each complete revolution of cams 3 and 4, completed in 24 hours, the switch lever 16 remains uncoupled from the transmission mechanism, except for the two short periods when the adjustment lever 11 with its finger 15 performs its snapping movement. Consequently, the switch lever 16 can virtually at all times be operated in another manner than by the transmission mechanism for synchronizing the calendar mechanism, without the danger of forcing or damaging the calendar clockwork.

I claim:

1. A calendar clockwork comprising a transmission mechanism for periodically adjusting the calendar mechanism, said transmission mechanism being disposed between the clockwork mechanism and the calendar mecha- 4 nism and having a drive shaft coupled with said clockwork mechanism, and wherein said drive shaft, which is arranged to rotate at a speed of one revolution per 24 hours, is provided with two members, fixedly mounted thereon, such as cams, one of said members cooperating with a movable latch element for temporarily locking and suddenly releasing an adjustment lever mounted for rocking movement through a limited distance, said adjustment lever having an adjustment finger for adjusting the calendar mechanism, said calendar mechanism being entirely uncoupled from said adjustment finger before and after the adjustment, said adjustment lever being connected with an operating lever by means of a power element, e.g., a spring and forming a snapping mechanism therewith, said operating lever being mounted for rocking movement limited by the other member mounted on the drive shaft. 2. A calendar clockwork according to claim 1, wherein said latch element is generally radially movable relative to said drive shaft.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,350,873 11/1967 Egger et a1 584 RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner E. C. SIMMONS, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 5 85 8 

